Field of the Invention
In this invention, a series of new metals including Co, Cr, Zn, Cu, and Al coordinated conjugated microporous polymer catalysts were designed, synthesized, and used to catalyze the reaction of the epoxides and CO2 to produce corresponding cyclic carbonates at mild conditions. Meanwhile, the catalysts can be recycled easily and reused for several times without reducing the yields, which obviously increases the utilization of catalysts.
Description of the Related Art
Carbon dioxide is one of the main greenhouse gases, but it is safe, nontoxic, inexpensive, and abundant. Since the industrial revolution, the carbon dioxide level in the atmospheric layer was rising year by year, enhancing the greenhouse effect, which leads to the globe warming and the frequent occurrence of the disastrous weather. Therefore, how to dispose and use CO2 has attracted the attention of the whole world. Recently, through the efforts of scientists around the world, it is the main strategy to conceive efficient carbon capture or conversion via chemical technologies. One of the most promising reactions in this area is the cycloaddition reaction of CO2 and epoxides to cyclic carbonates (CCs). However, numerous reported catalyst systems suffered from harsh operation conditions, and their catalytic activities were limited by the requirement of high pressure and temperature, together with separation difficulties, which lead to the low efficiency to utilize them. Thus, development of new effective catalytic systems for catalytic conversion with CO2 under mild conditions is desired, especially in real world applications.